Have Aiptasia problem and need advice...

[HarryLongo]

I have a 29 gal. reef tank 2 years of age. Its near epidemic proportions with Aiptasias everywhere you look.

Problem is... in this well stocked soft coral reef tank lives a single Sally Lightfoot crab who does a fine job of clean up in his catagory of clean up. I'm trying now to trap him and move him to another tank but in the meantime, these cursed Aiptasia just keep multiplying. I've read online that red leg hermit crabs will eat these Aiptasia while in other ' authorities ' online no such mention is made of red leg hermits actually eating Aiptasia.

Until I catch this Lightfoot, if indeed he'll ever be caught, the red leg hermit crabs are most likely to survive the Lightfoot's attack whereas Peppermint Shrimp stand no chance at all.

Can anyone offer some sound advice as to these red leg hermits actually eating Aiptasia ? The stick a needle with poison in it method is not my preferred course of action. Thank you.

[Aadler]

never heard of hermits eating it, but ya never know.

Get over to walmart ASAP, ask where the Canning supplies are. Buy Mrs (forget name) Pickling lime. Jump over to the pharmacy counter (or a drug store pharmacy counter) ask for a syringe, 3ml or whatever they have doesnt matter.

Get a 1/4 cup measuring cup. put a heaping tablespoon of pickling lime into the measuring cup, put in 2-3 tablespoons of tap water, stir for a few seconds, put in microwave on high for 20-40 seconds, i would cover it, don't let it boil long, just get it boiling, 40 seconds will be plenty, 20 may be enough. 30 would be safe. just cover with a napkin.

open the needle, unscrew the actual needle part, suck up some of the mixture, wipe off any lime/water on outside of needle with a towel, put it in tank right in front of the aiptasia, push out a little bit of the mixture, try not to get it everywhere, but realistically not all of it is going to stick to the aiptasia.

I would feel comfortable doing this on as many as 15 at a time if it is really that bad, do it every couple hours if you want or one time a day. Blow off any excess that ends up on coral quickly or you may burn a bit of the coral.

all in all should cost you about 4 dollars and you have a life time supply of aiptasia/mojo killing juice.

[Nyxe]

At first I used kalk paste. I covered all of them (two) using a plastic syringe. A few days later, I spotted three more in completely new areas. They got the same kalk treatment.

A few weeks after that while cleaning the sides of my tank with a mag float, I saw four in one area to the rear corner and one again in the front area that was easily viewable. There was no way I could get to them with a kalk syringe of any kind without some major rock work.

I bought five peppermints. The next day, all the aiptasia I had spotted was gone. (This was yesterday.) We'll see if the peppermints have a lasting effect, but peppermints have my vote.

Good luck catching your sally.

[Kieth71]

I also used peppermint shrimp and they destroyed my aiptasia within 3 days

[seagirl]

Peps took care of mine too. Never heard of hermits eating them, but there are a lot of things i've never heard of.

[jbird0420]

Peppermint shrimp do it! So does hot boiling RO/di water and a syringe!

[lilchris]

berghia nudibranches is suppose to be the best natural way of erraticate(sp) them

[Macimage]

I've never heard of red legs eating aiptasia.

I've used berghia twice over the past 8 years. They completely eliminated them in an overrun 55 gallon many years ago and today they are 3/4 of the way through eating them in my 225.

Joyce

[devgru]

ive used peppermints as well with great results,ive also used concentrated lime juice with a syringe with great results.never heard or seen reg legs eating them but you never know?

[paulallen]

Berghia get my vote as well. Just 2 of them completely cleaned my friends 39 gal cube within 4 months. Now he feeds them aiptasia from his 75 gal. FOWLR

[will16]

Are Berghia nudi's potentially harmful to anything else? In the abscence of aiptasia, will they turn on anything else?

[paulallen]

No they will die.

[Macimage]

Unfortunately, as paulallen stated, they die when there is no more aiptasia.

I ended up going to the lfs and buying rocks with aiptasia to feed them until I could give them away last time.

They will not harm anything. They are small gentle creatures.

Joyce

[Almon]

Why cover the pest in Kalk Paste? Injecting it with the paste will work much bettter. Then siphon the pest and the kalk out an hour later.

Pepermint Shrimps and Copper Band Butterflies are great for the small ones, but the bigger ones should be injected and/or siphoned out.

[will16]

Originally posted by Macimage
I ended up going to the lfs and buying rocks with aiptasia to feed them until I could give them away last time.
Joyce

That's too funny. Shopping for aiptasia Unfortunately my LFS has an abundance of those types of rocks

[reefkoi]

the new Red Sea stuff works amazingly well, I have tried everything else and this product is different than any of the others.
You won't be sorry

[eaglesrx]

Originally posted by paulallen
Berghia get my vote as well. Just 2 of them completely cleaned my friends 39 gal cube within 4 months. Now he feeds them aiptasia from his 75 gal. FOWLR

Anyone know where to buy these guys?

Thanks!